carter



March 3, 1964 Filed April 25, 1961 I R. H. F. CARTER VENDING MACHINES 5Sheets-Sheet 2 1964 R. H. F. CARTER 3,

VENDING MACHINES Filed April 25, 1961 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 IV flMZLTi: W@F/G.4. in... u uh... g

38/ l I 2. 39 mzzwo 32 30 37 [Q5410 48 l 1,

March 3, 1964 R. H. F. CARTER 3,123,415

VENDING MACHINES Filed. April 25, 1961 s Sheets-Sheet 4 V 113 Q, 1 7701157 4 111 111 a 736 1250 722 I I 1266 4251: L\ m March 3, 1964 FiledApril 25, 1961 F. CARTER VENDING MACHINES 5 Sheets-Sfieet 5 FIG. 70A.

F/GJO. 140 5 EMPTY'TBQ United States Patent 3,123,415 VENDING MACHINESReginald Hugh Fred Carter, Littlehampton, England, assignor toX-O-Matics (Sales) Limited, London, England Filed Apr. 25, 1961, Ser.No. 105,452 Claims priority, application Great Britain Apr. 27, 1960 12Claims. (Cl. 312-971) The present invention relates to vending ordispensing machines (hereinafter called vending machines) and especiallythose which are operative after insertion of a coin. These machines maybe used for vending articles of food, e.g., eggs, vegetables, fruit orother goods whether packed or not.

It is an object of the invention to provide a vending machine which issimple in construction and cheap to make and accordingly the machineaccording to the present invention comprises a holder for the goods tobe sold having a number of compartments or platforms (hereinafter and inthe claims called compartments) airanged in a helical formation, theholder being supported to move in a helical path to bring eachcompartment in turn into register with a closable opening, andcomprising means operative when a coin is in a position to serve as alink or coupling element to unlock or unlock and open a closure memberfor said opening and allow the holder to advance to bring anothercompartment or platform to the opening.

Although, as hereinafter described, the holder may be associated withmeans for lifting and turning it, e.g., from a lower refrigeratingchamber, a very simple form of the machine is one constructed so thatthe holder can turn and descend by gravity under the control of a helixor part helix and so that under the control of appropriate indexingmechanism on the casing of the machine, operated through the medium of apivoted closure member, with every descent and turn of the holder witheach indexing operation a new compartment containing goods to be vendedwill be brought to the opening and an empty compartment moved on.

Such a machine requires no driving motor or like source of power. Thevarious compartments can be successively charged and the holder raisedto a position from which, whenever a coin has been inserted and theindexing mechanism operated through the medium of the closure memher,the holder will descend and turn through a sufficient angular extent toremove one empty compartment from the closure member opening and bringthe next charged compartment into the position previously occupied bythe empty one now advanced.

To simplify the manufacture of the machine it is preferred to provideeither a fixed support for the holder or the holder itself with a seriesof pins spaced on a helix and to provide the holder or the support asthe case may be with a continuous helical surface which may be a localsurface extending over only one convolution or less where the holdermakes several convolutions in its complete travel and thus the need formforming long continuous helical surfaces and the consequent difficultiesof machining are obviated. It is preferred to secure the saidcontinuoussurface to the holder, e.g., by making the said surface the under edgeof a bearing sleeve seating on a number of the pins which may bearranged to project radially from a central column in helicaldisposition, the holder being rotatable and movable up and down withrespect to the said column.

The closure member may be a fold down flap or gate. It may comprise awindow through which the contents of a compartment can be seen.

"ice

The machine specifically described herein comprises a fold-down closuremember which will be normally closed and locked and operates so that theinsertion of a coin into an appropriate slot, followed by themanipulaton of an operating control, leads to the opening or unlockingof the said member, and whilst the closure member is open, the holder islocked in position so that it cannot be advanced to a subsequent stationto allow improper access to be had to any of the other goods in themachine and with the closing of the closure member after goods have beenremoved from the relative compartment, the holder is only allowed toturn and descend to bring a new charged compartment to the deliveryopening when the closure member has been so closed and retained as notto be capable of being opened improperly, i.e., until another coin hasbeen inserted. I

This machine comprises a coin track means, means to support a coin in apredetermined position, control means operable from the exterior of themachine for displacing a locking bolt which co-operates with the closuremember, the arrangement being such that the coin when in such positionwill transmit motion from the said control means to the bolt to releasethe closure member, the transmission of such motion being prevented whena coin is not in position.

The holder may comprise vertical members which together form a rack andthe indexing means comprise a spring loaded catch or pawl normallyreleased from the said rack, said closure member having stop means whichco-operate, when the closure member is closed, with the said rack toregister a compartment with the said opening. The vertical members maybe the outer vertical edges or rods of the compartment walls.

The indexing means may comprise means responsive to the initial openingof the closure member to cause the said pawl or catch to move intoposition to co-operate with the rack and further opening of the closuremember to release said stop means from the rack so that the holder canturn a small angular extent to engage the pawl or catch and bring therack into a position in which the holder, when next released by the pawlor catch can turn until the next vertical member of the rack is held bythe stop means of the then closed closure member.

Spring-operated means may be provided responsive to the release of thebolt from the closure member which cause an initial opening of thelatter s-ufficient to bring the pawl or catch into operative position.

The initial opening of the closure member may be limited by a cam on theclosure member co-operating with lever means co-operating with thelocking bolt to prevent premature return of the bolt and so that thefurther opening of the closure member further displaces the bolt.

The locking bolt may be provided with means for positively displacing acoin for release down a track if the coin should tend to remain afterthe closure member has been released and to hold a second coin, if onebe inserted while a preceding coin is in operative position, from prematurely falling down the track.

Means may be provided whereby the operation of the,

pawl or catch to release the holder for rotation occurs only by finalclosure movement of the closure member when the locking bolt has beenagain caught with the closure member and retains the closure memberagainst improper opening.

Preferably the holder is within a casing comprising a door which can benormally locked or opened for charging the holder and the said openingis in the said door and the closure member is pivoted to the door in thelower region thereof.

The locking pawl or catch may be a lever which is fulcrumed to thecasing and co-operating structure of the indexing means may be carriedby the door, the said lever and the said other structure being broughtinto operative relation by the closing of the door to release the pawlor catch from the rack, the pawl or catch serving to control theoperative feed of the holder and yielding ratchet fashion and permittingstep-by-step operation of the holder when the holder is turned in theopposite direction during charring of the latter with the door open.

The pawl or catch lever may co-operate with an intermediate lever alsofulcrumed to the casing, e.g., to a bracket thereon, and the said otherstructure comprise a master lever fulcrumed to the door and which isbrought into cam-co-operation with the said intermediate lever by theclosing of the door.

The master lever may be spring-biased and act (a) partially to open theclosure member when the locking bolt has been withdrawn and (b) causethe pawl or catch to move in the path of the rack, and lever means maybe provided on the door co-operative with a cam on the closure memberand with the locking bolt so that further opening of the closure memberfurther displaces the locking bolt away from the bolt of the closuremember against a spring return means and also withdraws the stop meanson the closure member from the rack to permit the holder to turn througha small angular extent until brought to a stop by the pawl or catch, theclosing of the closure member operating to release the locking bolt formovement into co-operation with the closure member, to bring said stopmeans carried by the closure member again into the path of the rack andto release the pawl or catch to permit turning of the holder only whenthe closure member has been suificiently closed and locked by thelocking bolt that it cannot be improperly opened and access had to goodsin the holder.

When with the door and the closure member closed, a coin is inserted andthe control means operated to release the locking bolt from the closuremember, a cranked end of the master lever, remote from that endco-operating with the intermediate lever, may be caused by spring-biasof the master lever, to act and follow behind a lower extension of theclosure member below its fulcrum, the spring biassing the pawl or catchthen operating to turn the pawl or catch into the path of theappropriate rack member of the holder and also to hold the intermediatelever to position its cam end to be engaged by the co-operating end ofthe master lever at a latter stage.

The holder will previously, i.e., with the closure member closed, havebeen held against rotation, not by the pawl or catch but by theaforesaid stop on the closure member itself co-operating with anothervertical rack member on the holder so that when the closure member isopened the latter stop becomes inoperative and allows the holder to moveround by a small amount, the pawl or catch being then located so as tooperate to secure the holder against further rotation when the holderhas cleared the said stop.

When goods have been removed from the compartment and the closure memberreaches the final stage of its closing movement the said lower extensionthereof presses against the master lever which by virtue of its camcooperation with the corresponding end of the intermediate lever causesthe latter to turn the pawl or catch lever against the spring urge ofthe latter to release the pawl or catch from the path of movement of theholder and allow the holder to descend and turn so that the emptycompartment will move on and the new compartment come into registrationwith the opening, being stopped at that position by the stop on theclosure member itself, but the said release takes place during the finalclosing of the closure member when the coin-controlled locking bolt hasmoved into position to prevent re-opening of the closure member before afurther coin is inserted.

Provision may be made whereby when the last compartment has been exposedin the opening an indicator is operated showing that the holder isempty.

One embodiment according to the invention will now be described moreparticularly.

With reference to the accompany diagrammatic drawings in which FIG. 1 isa front view of the open cabinet, FIG. 2 is a sectional plan, FIG. 2a afragmentary part thereof in another position, FIGS. 3 4 and 5 are viewsof the locking and indexing mechanism.

FIGS. 6 to 11 illustrate a modified machine, FIG. 6 showing this machinewith the door open to expose the holder in the cabinet and the mechanismcarried by the door. FIG. 7 is a part sectional plan showing the pawl ofthe indexing mechanism carried by the cabinet. FIG. 8 is a detail viewof a locking device for the closure member. FIG. 9 is a detail view ofthe locking bolt mechanism; FIG. 10 is a front elevation and FIG. 10a 21side view of an Empty indicator and FIG. 11 is a view of the coininsertion mechanism.

The machine illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 5 comprises a casing includingcabinet 1, e.g., of rectangular horizontal cross-section having acircular-section column 2 extending vertically centrally thereof. Thiscolumn is provided with a series of radially outwardly projecting pins 3arranged on a helix. The column is fitted in a top flange or bearingsleeve 2a and can be locked by setscrews 211 when the storage holder 4registers with the flap hereinafter described.

The storage holder 4 for the goods is provided with multiplegoods-supporting platforms 5 arranged on a helix and forming the bottomsof compartments formed by a cage or other arrangement. The holder has anupper bearing sleeve 6 formed with a helical lower edge 7 whereby theholder can be supported through the medium of the said pins.

The helical edge aforesaid may be one or a part of one convolution andengage say three of the pins only at any position. The holder isrotatably supported and can only turn about the axis of the column andrise and fall.

The storage holder can descend and turn under the control of the helicalarrangement in steps as determined by the indexing means hereinafterdescribed and when discharged can be turned back and lifted and held inthe upper position.

There may be any convenient number of compartments 8 say six for everycomplete turn and enough compartments to permit of several completeturns.

The compartments are formed by the platforms 5 aforesaid (which may beof grid or open structure) and radial divisions 10 (which may also be ofwire of open form) terminating in vertical outer edges, which may beformed by vertical rods or strips 11 together forming a rack. Theindexing means co-operate with these rods as will be later described.

The cabinet has a front door 9 hinged about a vertical axis 12 at oneside of the cabinet.

Mounted on a bracket 13 on the hinge side of the interior of the cabinetis a pawl or catch lever 14 which is medially fulcrumed at 15 and hasthe pawl end 16 at the end of one arm, the arm extending furthest intothe cabinet from the front thereof, and the end of the other (tail) arm17 is arranged to co-operate with another medially fulcrumed lever 18also mounted on the said bracket and herein called the intermediatelever. The pawl-locking lever is spring-loaded at 19 so as to be held inlocking position co-operating with one of the said vertical rods of theholder when the spring-load takes control and the holder is to beprevented by the pawl-locking lever from turning (FIG. 2). Theintermediate lever and the said tail arm of the pawl-locking leverco-operate so that when the intermediate lever is turned in one direc--tion the pawl-locking lever will be moved against its spring; to releasethe holder for turning (FIG. 2a).

Mounted on the inside of the door is the aforesaid master lever 20. Thishas one arm 21 the free end of which co-operates with the end of theintermediate lever 1% remote from the pawl or catch lever, these endsbeing adapted to co-operate cam-fashion. The master lever has another(tail) arm 22 which may be situate at a lower level than said first arm,e.g., the said arms being spaced on a central pivot or hearing member.The angle between the arms 21 and 22 of the master lever 21 may beadjusted by loosening the connecting nut a to vary the amount by whichthe arm 21 displaces the intermediate lever 18 and hence the pawl 14 ashereinafter described.

The door has an opening adapted to register with one compartment at atime and this opening is normally closed by a flap closure member 27pivoted about a lower horizontal axis 271) and having depending offsetor cranked inward extension 27a. The master lever is spring loaded at 28so that its tail arm aforesaid engages the said inward extension andwill urge the flap to partially open position when the flap is releasedas later explained.

The flap is provided with an external fixed handle 29 provided with alocking pin 30 which extends into the interior of the cabinet with thedoor and the flap both closed. The said pin has a peripheral groove 31for cooperating with a locking bolt 32 as later described. At the sideof the said flap which will be remote from the hinge axis of the doorwhen the door is closed, a stop 33 projects inwards from the flap and isfixed to or is an integral part of the flap. At the other side of theflap an inward projection is provided which forms an edge cam 3'4. Theaforesaid locking bolt is slidably mounted on the door adjacent theinside of the flap, one end of the bolt engaging the said groove of thepin of the flap and holding the fiap closed until the bolt is released.This locking bolt is contained and guided by a bracket 32a mounted onthe door 9 and is spring-loaded (35) in such manner that the springtends to hold the bolt in locking position.

A coin receiving mechanism is provided on the door with a suitablecoin-receiver and chute 36 to allow a coin of given denomination to fallinto a position in which the coin can control the indexing means.

The coin when dropped through the chute will come to rest on two pins 37between an angular end plate 33 apertured at 38a of the locking bolt andfixed plate 39 apertured at 39a, apertures 38a and 390 being in line.The said pins 37 are carried by the fixed plate 39 and abut the plate3'8 of the locking bolt when this is in the position shown in FIG. 4. Aspring-loaded lever 40 (which we term the purchasers lever) is arrangedon the inside of the door and has an external handle 41. The purchaserslever has a pin end 42 which can pass through said apertures 38a and 3%and have no action on the locking bar in the absence of a coin. Whenhowever a coin 43 has fallen through the chute onto the said supportpins, the pin end of the said purchasers lever will pass through theaperture 3% and thrust on the coin so that this transmits motion to theplate 38 carried by the locking bolt and releases the locking bolt fromits groove in the said pin and takes the coin oif the pins secured tothe plate 39 to enable this to drop when the purchasers lever isreleased, the closure member having meanwhile sprung partially open aslater described. The locking bolt has a horizontal inwardly extendingplate 44 one face of which will lie normally adjacent one face of thecoin, just'permitting the coin to position itself at rest edge-on itspin supports.

An L-shaped lever 45 pivoted (46) at its angle to the door or a bracketthereon has a short arm 47 the end of which co-operates with the saidedge cam 34 on the flap and a long arm 48 the end of which co-operatesbetween stops on the locking bolt. When the closure member springspartially open as aforesaid the edge cam 34 on the closure member willco-operate with the arm 47 of the lever 45 to prevent immediate furtheropening of the closure member as is hereinafter more fully described andalso to prevent retraction of the bolt 32 and plate 38 to ensure thatthe coin is not carried back onto the pins 37 when the purchasers leveris released.

The locking bolt is slidable in guides adjacent the inside of the door.

The apparatus operates as follows:

The holder will be loaded in stages after reaching its lowest positionand when its contents have been vended. At each stage a suitable numberof compartments will be charged and after each stage the holder will beturned in a direction opposite to that in which it turns for vending,say anticlockwise. The door will then be open and the master lever 20out of operation, and the spring-loaded pawl-locking lever 14 is thenurged by its spring 19 into the path of the periphery of the holder andis shaped so that the holder can be turned and raised through arequisite angular extent and ride past the pawl end 16 ratchet fashionbut will be held by the pawl spring-urged into locking position againstundesired reverse rotation when the holder is to be held stationaryunder its own weight.

After fully charging and raising the holder, the door will be closed andlocked and the flap closed. One of the said vertical rods 11 will thenbe urged under the weight of the holder against the said stop 33 on theflap and the pawl-locking lever 14 will be freed from the holder (FIG.2a). A charged lower compartment will then be registered with theflap-closed opening in the door.

The purchaser will now insert a coin 43 into the coin slot and this willfall down the chute on the inside of the door and between the end angleplate 38 of the locking bar 32 and the fixed plate 39 carrying thesupport pin or pins 37 and the coin will come to rest on the pins sothat the pin-end 42 of the spring-loaded purchasers lever 40 when thisis operated will thrust on the coin and transmit motion to the lockingbolt 32 to release the engagement of the said bolt with its groove inthe pin 30.

The spring 28 of the master lever 26 will then cause the tail arm 22 ofthe latter to open the flap through a certain angular extent, say 1030until the L-lever 45 working with the cam 34 on the flap prevents theflap from immediate further opening. The opening of the flap willrelease the master lever 20 from the intermediate lever 18 and thepawl-locking lever 14 will spring into locking position (FIG. 2). Thepurchaser can then further open the flap and displace the L-lever 45 bythe said cam and further displace the locking bar 32, ensuring that thecoin will be released if it has not already been released.

When the goods from the relevant compartment have been extracted, theflap is then closed. During the dos ing movement, the L-lever isreleased by the cam and the locking bar is urged back by its spring intoa position in which it will be engaged by a conical or cam inner end ofthe pin 30 during a later stage of the closing of the flap.

The stop on the flap will have been withdrawn from operative positionduring the opening of the flap, the looking pawl then retaining theholder against rotation.

The said stop and the locking pawl are relatively positioned so thatwhen the stop was withdrawn from the holder during the opening of theflap and after the pawl has reached the position shown in FIG. 2, theholder would have turned slightly to enable the vertical rod whichpreviously co-operated with the stop to move on out of co-operationtherewith. The said stop will thus during the closing of the door bepositioned ready to receive the next vertical rod when the holder isagain released by the locking pawl and turns.

During further closure of the flap, the conical or cam end of the boltwill press the locking bolt against its spring until, when the flap isnearly closed, the end of the locking bolt will snap into the groove inthe pin 30.

Some slight further closing movement of the flap is then permitted andit is only after this entry of the end of the bar into the groove, orsubstantially simultaneously therewith, that the lower extension of theflap will apply the necessary pressure on the master lever to cause thisthrough the intermediate lever to displace the locking pawl against itsspring and release the holder for turning. The angular extent of turningof the holder will now be determined by the stop on the flap and theapparatus is ready for the next cycle of operations, after the holderhas again come to a standstill, and following the insertion of anothercoin.

If two coins are inserted one immediately following the other, thesecond coin will be held back by the horizontal plate 44 on the lockingbar and prevented from falling until the bar has been again retractedand the previous coin discharged and the second coin allowed to come torest on the pins and be held between the plate on the locking bar andthat carrying the pins.

Referring to the machine shown in FIGS. 6 to 11 the cabinet 1151 has ahinged door 1112, the cabinet having a closed top 1133 which may bearindicia of any suitable sort and a lower door or closure panel 1114which can be opened or removed to facilitate cleaning of the machine.The holder 1115 is divided into sectorial compartments 105a, the outeredges of the partitions lhoa forming a rack 1% with which co-operates aspring loaded pawl 107 mounted on a bracket 1159 in the cabinet.

A closure member 11% adapted when open to expose one compartment only ofthe holder is pivoted by horizontal journals 111 on the door. Theopening covered by the closure member is formed in a rectangular recessin the door and is framed by a surround including a curved top 112 andside walls 113. The closure member carries a pin 114 with an externalfinger knob 115, a peripheral groove 116 where it projects within thedoor and a conical leading end 117. When closing the door the conicalend of the pin engages a conical socket 118 in a plunger 119 housed in ablock 11% secured to the door, the plunger 111 being loaded by a spring120 and this spring is compressed. The end 121 of the locking bolt 122then engages the peripheral groove.

A coin is inserted from the exterior of the machine into a coinreceiving mechanism 123 and if the correct coin has been inserted itpasses down a chute 124 and comes to rest edgewise supported by pins 125projecting from a plate 126 fixed to the door 102. The coin is retainedon these pins by a plate or flange 127 projecting from and attached tothe locking bolt. The plate 126 and the plate or fiange 127 on the boltare holed at 128, 128a to allow for passage of the pin 129 on theexternally operable manual control lever 130 save when a coin has beeninserted and is held by the pins 125 when operation of said controllever 1319 releases the bolt from the pin 114 allowing the springplunger to urge the closure memher into open position. Plate 126 is partof a bracket 126a which is secured to the door and which comprisesanother plate 126a between which and the plate or flange 127 attached tothe bolt a compression spring 1260 is situated which serves to returnthe bolt to locking position. The line 125d (FIG. 9) denotes theright-hand extremity of the bracket 126a and the bolt is slidable in ahorizontal slot in the bracket.

During opening of the closure member the tail extension 131 of themember disengages the lower arm 132a of a master lever 132 and allowsthe master lever 132 to pivot in the bracket 133 attached to the door W2under the action of spring 132!) thus withdrawing the adjustable screwpin 134 on the master lever 132 from its normal engagement with the end107a of pawl 107 and allowing the pawl to be spring-urged about itspivot 1117b into the path of the holder. Subsequently a stop 135 on theclosure member withdraws from its normal engagement with the rack 1%(shown in dotted outline in FIG. 7) and releases the holder which turnsto the 8 dotted position A (FIG. 7) to abut the said pawl and pass thesaid stop position.

When the goods have been withdrawn from the exposed compartment theclosure member is closed and the stop is again introduced into the pathof the holder. When the closure member is nearly closed a quadrant 136which turns therewith (in an anti-clockwise direction in the aspect ofFIG. 8) is engaged by a spring-loaded pawl 137 to prevent the closuremember from being reopened. During movement of the closure member toclosure position the tail 131 of the closure member engages the lowerarm 132a of the master lever 132 and causes this lever to pivot in thebracket 133 against the pressure of its spring 13217 so that theadjustable screw pin 134 on lever 132 engages the end 1137a of pawl 11Wand, during final closure movement of the closure member, withdraws thepawl 1117 from the holder rack 11% so that the holder can turn untilarrested by the stop 135 on the closure member. Also during the saidfinal closure movement of the closure member the quadrant 136 rides pastthe pawl 137. When the closure member is released for opening thequadrant 136 can ride past the pawl 137 without locking with it. I

An empty sign 141 (FIGS. 10 and 10a) is provided in the last compartmentin the holder, this sign being hingedly connected at 142 to the floor ofthe compartment and normally being held in a raised, out-of-sightposition, by the cam on the slide 139. A pin 138 on the slide 139projects through an aperture in that part of the side wall of the lastcompartment which will be contacted by the stop 135 on the closuremember when the holder 1% makes its last turning movement. Thus when thelast compartment containing goods has been emptied and the closuremember closed the holder 1% will turn until arrested by the stop 135 onthe closure member. When the holder is arrested by the stop 135 the pin138 will be moved towards the right in the aspect of FIG. 10 and movethe cam 140, carried by the slide 139, from under the empty sign so thatthis can hinge down under its own weight into a position in which itwill be exhibited through a window in the closure memher.

The coin receiving mechanism is designed to take coins of two values andof diiferent diameter (e.g., the English fiorin and half-crown) and toreject coins of the wrong diameter and or thickness. It comprises atrack 143 for the coin formed by the inturned flange of a plate 144hinged at 145. A diameter control plate 146 is adjustable by means ofscrews 147 in relation to a fixed mounting plate according to thediameter of the coin. It provides a channel 149 just sufficient to takethe thickness of the coin. The coin is entered through a slot 151 in thefront of the door. A coin larger than that for which the plate is setwill merely lodge against the edge of the said plate 146. A coin thinnerthan the prescribed coil will fall through a slot 152 in the track 143,the slot being of unsuflicient width to prevent the support of theproper coin. A coin of smaller diameter than that for which the plate146 is set, i.e., a florin when the plate 146 is set for half-a-crown,will not engage the channel 149 but will tilt over and project into alocking aperture (not shown) in the fixed plate 148 and will thus beheld in the coin receiving mechanism and prevented from running downinto the chute. The rejected coin passes down chute 153 to a coin rejectcup 154. The hinged plate 144, hinged at 145 and apertured at 144a thusexposing plate 146 (FIG. 11), can be opened for the release of a cointrapped by the said edge 150 or by the said aperture in the fixed plate148 by pushing on the spring loaded externally accessible knob 155 whichco-operates with a cam face 156 on the hinged plate. The then rejectedcoin runs down the coin chute 153 to the coin-reject cup. The passedcoin runs down the chute 124 and lodges on the pins 125 on the plate 126and is finally released down chute 159 for passage into an interior coinreceiving box 160 which may have a hinge-up cover 161 that can be lockedif desired.

163 indicates a locking mechanism for the door. 163a is a magnet carriedby the hinged plate and projecting through holes in the said plate andthe plate 146 to hold back a spurious coin of ferromagnetic material.

The machine is simple in construction, relatively cheap to make and foolproof and tamper proof in use. It may have a large capacity for thegoods to be sold and can handle goods of awkward shapes or goods inawkward shaped packages, it may, for example, be used for goods wrappedin paper bags or for goods such as eggs in special containers therefor.The machine may accept coins of different denominations and deliverchange with the goods and may be completely mechanical in operation sothat it can be installed where no electricity supply is available.Moreover, the machine may be refrigerated where it is used to handlefood stuffs or it may deliver goods directly from a deep freezecompartment.

If desired, Whilst the closure member remains open, the coin slot intowhich money is inserted, may be closed so that coins cannot be insertedinto the machine. Alternatively, the coin receiving mechanism may bearranged so that if a coin is inserted into the machine whilst theclosure member remains open, then the coin is returned to a rejectedcoins delivery cup. If the goods in the compartment are to be sold forless than the value of the coin which is inserted in the slot, then thechange which is to be delivered to the customer may be contained in thegoods compartment or may be packed with the goods.

What I claim is:

1. A vending machine comprising a holder for the goods to be vendedhaving a number of compartments to contain the goods, a casing for saidholder having an access opening and a closure member therefor, theholder being supported to move downward in a helical path by gravity insaid casing to bring each compartment in turn into register with saidopening, said closure member being a member pivoted to the casing andproviding when closed a stop for the said holder, means operative when acoin is in a position to serve as a link or coupling to.

unlock or unlock and open the said closure member, indexing meansoperative when the closure member opens to intrude into the path of theholder and to retain the holder when the said stop on the closure memberhas been withdrawn, said last-mentioned means being operative by closingthe closure member to release the holder to turn by gravity up to thesaid stop on the closure member and bring another compartment to thesaid opening.

2. A vending machine comprising a holder means for the goods to bevended having a number of compartments to contain the goods, a casingfor said holder having an access opening and a closure member therefor,means in said casing supporting said holder, said supporting meanscomprising an axial column, said holder being supported to move in ahelical path about said supporting means to bring each compartment inturn into register with said opening, said helical path being defined bya helical arrangement of pins on said column and a local helical surfaceon the said holder and means operative when a coin is in a position toserve as a link or coupling element to unlock or unlock and open saidclosure member, means controlled by the closure member to allow theholder to advance to bring another compartment to the opening.

3. A vending machine according to claim 2 in which said helical surfaceextends over less than 360 and is formed by the central edge of a sleevesecured to the lower part of the said holder.

4. A vending machine according to claim 2 in which said pins are screwedinto the said column and tend to be tightened by the descent of theholder thereon.

5. A vending machine according to claim 1 comprising a coin track means,means to support a coin in a predetermined position, a locking bolt forsaid closure member,

1O 7 an operating control operable from the exterior of the machine fordisplacing said bolt to unlock the closure member, the arrangement beingsuch that when the coin is in such position motion will be transmittedfrom said control to the said bolt but not when a coin is not in suchposition.

6. A vending machine according to claim 5 in which the initial openingof the closure member is limited by cam means on the closure memberco-operating with lever means which co-operate with the locking bolt toprevent premature return of the bolt and so that the further opening ofthe closure member further displaces the bolt.

7. A vending machine according to claim 5 in Which the closure memberhas a grooved pin with which the said bolt locks, the pin co-operatingwith a spring-loaded plunger which serves to hold the bolt ready toengage the pin whilst the closure member is open and yields to the pinwhen the closure member is partaking of its final closing movement toenable the bolt to come into operative position and which causes theclosure member automatically to open when released by the locking bolt.

8. A vending machine according to claim 1, in which the holder comprisesvertical members which together form a rack and the indexing meanscomprise a catch normally released from the said rack when the closuremember is closed, said stop co-operating when the closure member isclosed with the said rack to register a compartment with said opening,said indexing means being responsive to initial opening of the closuremember to cause the catch to move into position to co-operate 'with saidrack and so that by further opening of the closure member to release thesaid stop means from the rack the holder can turn a small angular extentto engage the catch and bring the rack into a position in which theholder, when next released by the catch can turn until the next verticalmember of the rack is held by the stop means of the then closed closuremember, and comprising a biassing means responsive to the unlocking andopening of the closure member which cause opening of the latter memberat least suflicient to bring the catch into operative position.

9. A vending machine according to claim 8, comprising means whereby theoperation of the catch to release the holder for rotation occurs only bythe final movement of the closure member when the locking bolt has againcaught the closure member and retained the closure member againstimproper opening.

10. A vending machine according to claim 1 comprising a toothed quadrantand pawl device responsive to closing movement of the closure member toprevent opening of the latter when this has been nearly closed and before the holder is released for turning.

11. A vending machine according to claim 1, in which the holder iswithin a casing comprising a door which can be normally locked or openedfor charging the holder and the said opening is in the door and the saidclosure member is a fold-down flap pivoted to the door, said doorcomprising means to support a coin in a predetermined position, alocking bolt for said closure member and an operating control operablewhen a coin is present from the exterior of the door when closed fordisplacing said bolt to unlock the closure member, said holdercomprising vertical members which together form a rack and said indexingmeans comprising said stop and a catch, said stop being withdrawablefrom the said rack when the closure member is opened and said catch thenpermitting a small angular movement of the holder, said catch operatingto prevent movement of the holder while the closure member is open andmeans for causing the closure member when nearly closed from again beingre-opened, and said catch being releasable by the closure member onlywhen said means to prevent re-opening of the do sure member areeffective.

12. A vending machine according to claim 1, in which 11 12 the holder iswithin a casing comprising a door which pawl then co-operating with therack to prevent reverse can be normally locked or opened for chargingthe holder turning movement and descent of the holder. and the saidopening is in the door and the said closure member is a flap pivoted tothe door, said holder corn- References ed in the file Of this p t risingvertical members which together form a rack and 5 UNITED STATES PATENTSa pawl mounted on the interior of the said casing and co- N a 1,616,824Redhnger Feb. 8, 1927 operating with the said rack, said holder beingadapted to 1,696,795 Cutler I v Dec. 25 1928 be turned and raised whenthe door is opened and said

1. A VENDING MACHINE COMPRISING A HOLDER FOR THE GOODS TO BE VENDEDHAVING A NUMBER OF COMPARTMENTS TO CONTAIN THE GOODS, A CASING FOR SAIDHOLDER HAVING AN ACCESS OPENING AND A CLOSURE MEMBER THEREFOR, THEHOLDER BEING SUPPORTED TO MOVE DOWNWARD IN A HELICAL PATH BY GRAVITY INSAID CASING TO BRING EACH COMPARTMENT IN TURN INTO REGISTER WITH SAIDOPENING, SAID CLOSURE MEMBER BEING A MEMBER PIVOTED TO THE CASING ANDPROVIDING WHEN CLOSED A STOP FOR THE SAID HOLDER, MEANS OPERATIVE WHEN ACOIN IS IN A POSITION TO SERVE AS A LINK OR COUPLING TO UNLOCK OR UNLOCKAND OPEN THE SAID CLOSURE MEMBER, INDEXING MEANS OPERATIVE WHEN THECLOSURE MEMBER OPENS TO INTRUDE INTO THE PATH OF THE HOLDER AND TORETAIN THE HOLDER WHEN THE SAID STOP ON THE CLOSURE MEMBER HAS BEENWITHDRAWN, SAID LAST-MENTIONED MEANS BEING OPERATIVE BY CLOSING THECLOSURE MEMBER TO RELEASE THE HOLDER TO TURN BY GRAVITY UP TO THE SAIDSTOP ON THE CLOSURE MEMBER AND BRING ANOTHER COMPARTMENT TO THE SAIDOPENING.